JACKSONVILLE, Fla.,
March 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/
-- As CSX continues its commitment to first responder
preparation, the company today presented a $25,000 grant to the Hazardous Materials/CBRNE
Training Facility in York County,
Va., to enhance training for Virginia's fire fighters and other
responders.
Grant funds will be used to purchase equipment to expand and
improve the existing training facility's rail related hazardous
materials capabilities including enhancing current and future
railcar props; installing lighting and electrical connections to
facilitate night training; expanding the classrooms to accommodate
larger groups; and sustaining the facility with continued
maintenance.
"An emergency response team's ability is significantly
strengthened when there is an opportunity to train in real life
scenarios and work in situations relevant to today's emergency
response community," said Chris
Sadler, Assistant Chief, York County Department of Fire and
Life Safety. "With this grant, the training facility can
continue to provide state-of-the-art emergency response training
for the Commonwealth's emergency responders."
The Hazardous Materials/CBRNE Training Facility provides
hands-on training opportunities for first responders on how to
handle hazardous materials, particularly in the area of rail
hazardous materials incident response. Its operations are supported
by a partnership between the Virginia Department of Emergency
Management, Virginia Association of Hazardous Materials Response
Specialists, and York County Department of Fire and Life Safety.
CSX previously donated to the facility in 2011.
"CSX and first responders share a critical responsibility to
protect Virginia's communities,"
said Romano De Simone, Director
Hazardous Materials. "Safety is our first priority, and we work to
create educational, hands-on opportunities that help our responding
partners be well prepared to make the best, fact-based decisions in
the event of a railroad incident."
The grant is part of CSX's expanded safety training outreach to
first responders and emergency personnel, which also includes the
CSX Safety Train: Energy Preparedness Program that has trained more
than 2,000 first responders from more than 350 organizations in 18
cities to date. CSX also launched the industry's first mobile
application to share information about train and cargo information
with first responders in the event of an incident. First responders
interested in accessing the mobile application should contact
1-877-TELL-CSX.
About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville,
Florida, is a premier transportation company. It
provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and
solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including
energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer
products. For nearly 190 years, CSX has played a critical
role in the nation's economic expansion and industrial
development. Its network connects every major metropolitan
area in the eastern United States,
where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides.
It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70
ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and
farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation
and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on
Facebook (http://facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter
(http://twitter.com/CSX).
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SOURCE CSX Corporation